Save The Drama For Yoβ Mama
Inspired by real experience, in which Jin doesnβt believe Taehyungβs actually sick and it ends up with Taehyung vomiting literally everywhere.Β
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Taehyung has always been the type for dramatics.Β
He has a deeply rooted love for cuddling and attention and affection, so the second he stubs his toe, heβll go whine about it--or maybe heβs sore from practice, heβll go to a member craving a massage. When heβs sad, heβll want to be held, and when heβs happy, he wants the world to know. Taehyung has always had a thing for pulling theatrics and overexaggerating his ailments, and the others always find it absolutely adorable.
Except for on days when theyβre in a time crunch to get a new choreo down and have absolutely no time for bullshit. Days where they have to get to the studio as soon as possible to work from morning to night to perfect the setlist for their next performance. Itβs on these days that Taeβs whining goes right over their heads and straight to their nerves, and as much as they love him, nobody has the time or energy to put up with it.Β
βKim Taehyung,β Seokjinβs voice is stern, the way it is when one of the boys does something stupid and itβs his job to handle it as the eldest, lacking all of itβs normal joy. βWake up. We donβt have time for this.βΒ
The older boy shakes Taehyung by the hip, earning a low whine from the second youngest. Taehyung buries his face in his pillow and takes a deep breath, curling up tighter.Β
βNo, get up, stop it,β Seokjin shakes him a little harder. βI know youβre tired, we all are, but you have to get up, Tae.β
Taehyung mumbles something incoherent into his pillow and moans.Β
βWhat? I canβt understand you with your face in a pillow.β
βI said I donβ feel good, Jinnie-hyung,β he flips over so heβs on his back, but keeps his eyes screwed shut. βMy throat hurts--β
β-probably from singing too hard yesterday-β Seokjin tries making excuses for all of his symptoms. Thereβs no way heβs sick, they havenβt been exposed to anyone but each other and their well-kept studio.
β--no, and my stomach hurts--β
β--didnβt you eat a lot last night?β
β--and I feel sick, hyung, I feel so nauseous.βΒ
Seokjin blows out a frustrated exhale, running a hand through his hair. βLook, if you get sick, weβll take you home, alright? But come on, you have to try. For me, tiger, try for me.βΒ
Taehyung gives a shaky exhale, pushing himself to sit up and immediately regretting it; his eyes arenβt even open and he can feel the world spinning. βI really...I really donβt feel goodβ¦β
βYouβll be fine.β Seokjin insists, assuming all of it could just be nerves or from pushing himself, and any other day heβd give all the sympathy in the world and coo and hold him but they just donβt have time for it today.Β
Taehyung rubs the sleep out of his eyes, hiccuping. βFine, Iβll...be out in a second.β
Seokjin nods, getting up. Just before he closes the door behind him, he says, βIβm trusting you not to go back to bed,β and gives him a stern look. The younger singer nods in return.Β
Seokjin canβt help but feel a little guilty--something seemed off about the younger man, but he tells himself itβs nothing and moves on, telling the others that he managed to get him out of bed and heβll be out in a second.Β
Taehyung stumbles out to the living room some ten minutes later, looking disheveled but dressed enough to leave the house nonetheless. Jimin and Jungkook both shoot their fellow maknae a concerned look while the hyungs are already out the door. Jimin puts an arm around Taehyungβs shoulder, a wordless comfort, hoping that Taehyung is just tired.Β
When they get in the car, Taehyung takes a seat in the back, immediately pulling his legs up to his chest and leaning against the window. The coolness of the glass feels nice against his cheek; despite it being the early fringes of winter, heβs hot and sweating. Jimin sits beside him and leans on his shoulder, running his fingers through the younger boyβs hair. He seems to be the only one that notices that something isnβt right--or at least the only one paying any mind to it.Β
The whole ride to the studio, Taehyung is taking shaky breaths, like heβs trying to take deep breaths but his body canβt do the full job of it. He keeps his eyes closed, occasionally trying to breathe through his mouth to get more oxygen in his lungs. The last thing he wants to do is throw up in the car; heβs fortunate enough to not be a member who gets carsick, like Jimin or Yoongi. And Hoseok was right this morning; they donβt have time for him and his bullshit.
Taehyung canβt help but fight tears at the feeling that nobody cares.Β
βTae, wake up,β itβs Jiminβs voice that breaks into Taehyungβs half-asleep state. When did he manage to fall asleep? βWeβre here, come on.β
Taehyung nods, inhaling deeply to steel himself. He steps out of the car, watching his exhale turn to fog. Once more, the world spins, and a wave of nausea overtakes him. He leans heavily against the door for a moment, willing his stomach contents to stay in place. He did eat a lot last night, so if he did throw up, it wouldnβt be pretty.Β
βHey, are you okay?β Taehyung didnβt realize Jimin had been standing there waiting for him.Β
The younger of the two is tempted to confess to Jimin about his symptoms too, but it seems like thereβs no use. Thereβs no way out. So he nods and follows Jimin and the rest of the members inside. The normally cozy temperature of the room hits him in the face like he just stepped into a furnace, only worsening the uncomfortable, sticky warmth thatβs plagued him since he woke up. The nausea still hasnβt faded and his stomach is audibly roiling and churning sickly.Β
Taehyung is broken out of his trance by Hoseok clapping and ordering everyone to get into place. The singer stumbles to his spot, and without any more second glances spared to him, the music starts. Shortly after it begins, it stops, however, and Taehyung is disoriented for a moment. He wonders if he managed to blank out and do the choreo without thinking, but he knows thatβs unrealistic. Now, there are no glances; all eyes are on him.
βWhatβs up with you today?β Taehyung knows heβs just stressed, but Hoseok sounds angry and thatβs how itβs registered through his brain fog--Hoseokβs mad at him.
βI--β Taehyungβs voice cracks, almost making it clear to the others that heβs on the verge of tears. βSorry,β he mumbles. βIβll do better.βΒ
Hoseok crosses his arms, looks up and down the second youngestβs shaky frame, but after a moment he nods anyway. Nobody notices Seokjin, whoβs sipping his water and looking awfully guilty in one of the corners of the room--everybody seems to be getting a little concerned, though.Β
But they donβt have time for messing around. So the music starts again. Taehyung does his best to focus, to actually do the moves right, and he makes it a little farther until the music stops again and all eyes are on him once more.Β
βTae, really, donβt you practice at all alone? Youβre normally so good at picking up choreo, the one time we need you to get it toge--βΒ
Taehyung cuts off Hoseokβs rant by lurching forward with a heave, bringing up a copious wave of sick that splatters on the hardwood floor. Hoseok freezes, caught off guard--he saw that Taehyung was pale, but he wasnβt expecting to get specks of puke on his shoes today. He looks back at the others, who all quickly jump into action when Taehyung heaves again, his knees giving out.Β
Jimin runs to his side, holding him up so he doesnβt fall too close to the rapidly growing puddle of sick and get it all over him. He has one hand across his chest and the other pulling back his bangs. βThatβs it, get it up,β Jimin knows Taehyung wonβt be able to move to the bathroom--he canβt even stand--so he does his best to comfort here, voice soft and light, nothing but love in his tone. βYouβre alright, youβre okayβ¦β
Namjoon comes and joins the two with a bottle of water, putting it beside Jimin to give to Taehyung when heβs ready. Jungkook grabs a towel to try and clean some of the sweat off of him, knowing that it canβt be very comfortable to feel soaked, cold, and sticky. Yoongi comes with a washcloth, dampened with cool water, to place on the back of his neck instead--Taehyung is burning up.Β
βWhy didnβt you tell anyone you werenβt feeling good, Tae?β Namjoon asks, wiping tears off his cheek with his thumb.
βI--β Taehyung tries to answer, but he just retches again, and again, his stomach refusing to give him a break.
βHe did.β Suddenly, Seokjin--whoβs been awfully quiet this whole time--speaks up. βHe said he wasnβt feeling good this morning, and I thought he just...I thought he was just stressed.β The oldest crouches down to Taehyungβs eye level, narrowly avoiding the lake of vomit thatβs on the floor now. βIβm sorry I didnβt listen to youβ¦βΒ
Taehyung coughs and belches hollowly before he finally gets a break. βN-No, itβs okay,β he says, voice hoarse. βMβsorry I made a messβ¦β Taehyung canβt stop himself from crying beyond the tears that had already fallen from exertion.
Jimin places a kiss to the crown of his head, slowly helping him to stand and get away from that mess heβs apologizing for as he reassures him that itβs not his fault. Jimin sits Taehyung down on the bench they normally put their stuff on, moving bags around to make room for him and handing him the bottle of water. βSip slowly, okay? Try and drink a little for me, I donβt want you to get dehydrated.βΒ
As they sit for a moment, the others get their things together--thereβs no way they were letting their schedule get in the way when one of the members was horribly ill--and Hoseok returns from the bathroom where heβd gone to wipe the thankfully small amount of vomit off of his shoes.Β
βYou think youβre okay to go, TaeTae? Iβm sure youβll be much more comfortable in bed at home than here,β Jimin asks softly, brushing the youngerβs sweaty fringe away from his forehead.Β
Truthfully, Taehyung still feels really nauseous, but Jimin is right; he does want to go home and lie down. So he nods, albeit hesitantly. Jimin sees his uncertainty, able to assume why he doesnβt necessarily want to get in a car.Β
βWe still have bags in the car, right?β Jimin asks whoever may be listening. βI think I just used one recentlyβ¦βΒ
βWe should, yeah,β Yoongi confirms. βIt would be stupid to not have bags when some of us get carsick.β
Jimin turns his attention back to Taehyung. βYou wonβt make a mess...if you get sick Iβll hold the bag for you, baby, itβll be okay. Okay?βΒ
Taehyung nods, taking a shaky breath. βOkay.βΒ
And with that, they head off; Namjoon takes a final glance at the mess before they leave and makes a mental note to make sure a janitor comes by soon. Taehyung returns to the seat he sat in on the way here by the window, leaning his cheek against it once more. Jimin sits next to him and offers his hand to hold. Taehyung accepts the offer gratefully, squeezing his hand tightly and getting a squeeze back.
Taehyung closes his eyes, trying again to take deep breaths and keep the water heβd drank down. He doesnβt want to throw up in a car--he doesnβt want to throw up again in general. His stomach gurgles and groans, and he presses his free hand to his abdomen, chewing on his lower lip. Still, despite all of his effort, his mouth starts watering again.Β
βY-You said we have bags?βΒ
Immediately, they jump into action, Namjoon taking two plastic bags from the glove compartment and handing them to Jimin. Jungkook, sitting next to Jimin, takes out his water bottle so he can hand it to Taehyung as soon as heβs finished, if not to drink than to rinse his mouth out at least. Jimin sees how shaky Taehyung is so he doesnβt bother trying to get him to hold the bag--the second itβs beneath his chin, Taehyung is retching again. Yoongi, whoβs sitting behind them, reaches forward to pull back the singerβs hair.Β
βWeβll be home soon,β Hoseok reassures from the front, being the one driving. Heβs a smooth driver and some of the others are not, so he was trusted with that position. βA few more minutes, TaeTae.βΒ
Taehyung can barely hear him over his heaving, comically loud as always, painful and grating as he heaves up the water heβd drank and a considerable amount of stomach acid. He groans when he has a chance to catch his breath, swallowing once, twice, before picking his head up.Β
βI think--I think Iβm good,β he chokes out between panting, and Jimin nods, tying off the bag and holding his hand once more. Jungkook wordlessly offers the water, but Jimin just shakes his head, figuring heβll try and get him to drink again when they get home, knowing that itβs much less comfortable to vomit in a moving vehicle than it is at home and in bed with a trashcan.Β
Just as Hoseok said, they get home a few minutes later. Taehyung moves as fast as he can on shaky legs. The second they get inside, he heads directly to the bathroom. The boys exchange glances--heβs still throwing up? What else could he possibly have in him?Β
Before following him, Jimin asks Seokjin to make some tea and Jungkook to get some extra blankets so he could tuck Taehyung in nicely once he finally managed to calm down enough to sleep without retching up a lung. And then Jimin is by Taehyungβs side once more, rubbing his back and holding his hair away. He feels all of Taehyungβs muscles tense as he retches, bringing up nothing but trickles of bile, saliva, and foam.Β
βTaehyungie, I really think youβre emptyβ¦β Jimin insists, getting worried that Taehyung will break a rib from the force of which he keeps dry heaving. βTry and breathe, baby, just try to breathe,β he encourages, hoping that Taehyung will calm down soon.
Luckily enough, he does, reduced to panting and burping and groaning once more. Jimin reaches up to flush the toilet for him before hoisting him up to his feet, guiding him slowly but surely to bed. Taehyung plops down on the mattress, happy to be home, and he drags Jimin down with him, immediately clinging to him.Β
Jimin doesnβt stop him, smiling fondly at the younger boy and placing a kiss to the top of his head once more before continuing to card his fingers through his hair. He covers them both up with the blankets Jungkook had given them, holding Taehyung close. βMy poor TaeTae...Iβm sorry youβre feeling so sickβ¦β Jimin comments after a moment.Β
Taehyung doesnβt respond--Jimin would expect at least a hum. He just shifts a bit, clings tighter to Jimin, and exhales deeply. His breathing has evened out--Jimin realizes that he mustβve fallen asleep already. He mustβve been so exhausted.
And taking care of your ailing bandmate must also be pretty exhausting, because when Seokjin comes in with a cup of tea, both boys are fast asleep.